Seeing a computer game become reality

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about the exciting experience of developing a computer game from scratch and seeing it become reality.

As with any other long term project that aims at the realization of a concept, working on a computer game and seeing it grow over time is an amazing experience. Recently, I realized how much the learning game I have developed as a demonstrator for the gamification of learning has changed over the last year.

Since I started working on this project at the end of summer 2013, it went through four important stages. The first stage was all about developing a basic concept for a computer game that encodes the desired learning content using game mechanics. After about six months of work, the first concept was finished and the project moved on to the next stage: the concept’s realization.

Stage 1: Concept

Another six months later, the development of the learning game’s first version was finished and I was able to conduct a first preliminary study to examine its usability and training outcome. The evaluation of the results revealed that the training game helped players to develop a better understanding for the learning content as well as to practice the knowledge due to repetition. Thus, I had a working basic demonstrator for the gamification of learning that had the potential to support all of our hypotheses.

Stage 2: Basic version

After this first successful test, the serious game entered its third stage, received minor improvements based on the outcome of the preliminary study and subsequently was tested in a full study which took place summer 2015. The study’s results revealed a positive effect on the learning outcome and an increased motivation on the side of the participants.

This successful outcome showed the usefulness of the serious game and thus the project entered the fourth stage during which the basic version of the game received a completely new style and many more functions that increased its usability as well as its motivating effects. By now, the overhaul of the demonstrator is almost complete and has resulted in a ‚real‘ computer game that has only a few remaining similarities with its initial version.

Stage 4: Overhaul

In two weeks, the project will enter its fifth stage as the improved game will be tested in a similar study, again. I am already excited to see the results that will hopefully reveal an even higher positive effect on the learning outcome.

Looking back on all the work that went into this project and seeing the results makes me really happy. It is such an amazing experience developing a computer game from scratch and seeing huge changes with every end of a stage.